The Christmas Throwaway Author:R. J. Scott Christmas is a time for giving - what do you do when no one gives a damn? For Zachary Weston Christmas means sleeping on a churchyard bench in the freezing snow with nothing better in his future. Thrown out of his home for being gay, he is left without money or, it seems, anywhere to go. Until a stranger shows him that some people do give a lot ... more »more than a damn. Ben Hamilton is a rookie cop in his small home town. He finds a young throwaway, fresh from the city, sleeping on a bench in the churchyard on a snowy Christmas Eve. Can he be the one to give Zachary his own Christmas miracle?« less
Take a small town rookie cop that just happens to be openly gay and OK with it, a snowy bench in a churchyard at Christmas and a desperately scared (and scarred) 17 year old homeless kid who's been thrown away by abusive, uncaring homophobic parents and you have the opening scenes of The Christmas Throwaway. This sweetly romantic book is equal parts Hallmark moments, puppy rescue fantasies and simple wish fulfillment. But it works.
If you're in the mood for a Capraesque m/m romance fantasy, then this may be your best bet in years. The characters are instantly likable, the sorrows are real but quickly addressed and never wallowed in. Plus there are wholesome welcoming family values here of the most benevolent type. This truly is a feel good read.
The prose is well constructed and there's little noise or nonsense to detract from the telling of a sweet romantic story. Yes, there is a bit of m/m sex to leaven the mix but it's not unmotivated and it serves the story well. Don't feel that you need to wait for next Christmas to read this story. It worked just fine for me in the middle of January.